Urban X-Change Network

About the project

Global challenges do not stop at national borders and can only be solved through joint, transnational cooperation – both at the political and societal level. The Urban X-Change Network offers nine German Adult Education Centres (Volkshochschule) and their counterparts in Great Britain, Ukraine and the USA the opportunity to carry out cross-border cultural and educational activities in close cooperation with their respective city administration and local civil society. The thematic framework is set by the 2030 Agenda.

The Urban X-Change Network began in September 2021 and will last until December 2023. The project is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and is realised by DVV International.

Goals

By promoting transnational dialogue and cross-border project activities, the Urban X-Change Network project aims to make the following contributions:

• Expand town twinning and cooperation of cities through the active participation of their adult education institutions and civil society networks;
• Connect people from various cities in Germany with people from cities in Great Britain, Ukraine and the USA;
• Connect people from various cities in Germany with people from cities in Great Britain, Ukraine and the USA;
• Involve people who otherwise rarely have their voices heard in foreign policy processes;
• Foster multilateral exchange on existing challenges within the framework of the 2030 Agenda;
• Strengthen the network of British, Ukrainian, and US American adult education institutions with German Adult Education Centres.

Stakeholder
DVV International, the Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association, is steering the overall project. The project is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.

City Partnerships: The adult education institutions, representatives of the city administrations and civil society of both cities in the partnership form a binational coordination group to implement commonly agreed activities in both cities.

The City Partnerships are accompanied by external process managers throughout the implementation of the project.

City partnerships overview

The cornerstones of the Urban X-Change Network are the City Partnerships. Cities, their adult education institutions and civil society from Great Britain, Ukraine and the USA with their German counterparts will carry out cross-border activities through 2022 and 2023.

German-Ukrainian partnerships

Celle-Sumy

Joint Peace Centre of the twinned towns of Celle-Sumy “ART of learning and living together: Education for democracy, human rights and sustainable development”

Project partners

Adult education institutions: Volkshochschule Celle (Germany) and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Lifelong Learning Centre, Sumy (Ukraine)

City administrations: City of Celle, Sumy City Council

Civil society organisations: Sumy State University; Sumy Youth Leisure Centre; NGO Council of Young Scientists, Sumy; NGO “Centre for Civic Education and Business Initiatives in Sumy”; NGO Centre for Euroinitiatives, Sumy.

Project duration: May 2022 – February 2023

Leipzig-Kyiv

Lifelong learning project "Come together, learn together"

Project partners

Adult education institutions: Volkshochschule Leipzig (Germany) and NGO "Association of innovative and digital education", Kyiv (Ukraine)

City administrations: City of Leipzig and City of Kyiv

Civil society organisations/other partners: State Scientific Institution "Institute of education content modernization" of the Ministry of education and science of Ukraine, NGO "Ukrainian Students' Association", NGO "Association of Adult Education" (Ukraine), NGO "Ukraine-Kontakt" e.V. (Germany), Theater der jungen Welt (Germany)

Project duration: August 2022 – March 2022.